Cracks in Cameroon's ruling coalition ahead of the October presidential election risk intensifying unrest and destabilizing the regime, as the country's 92-year-old president seeks reelection without a publicly known successor in place. On July 13, Cameroon's aging, longtime president, Paul Biya, announced on X that he was running for an eighth consecutive term in the upcoming Oct. 12 presidential election. The announcement follows longstanding reports of Biya's declining health and increasingly infrequent public appearances, which have fuelled speculation over his capacity to govern and intensified calls for him to step down. It also comes after two of Biya's long-time allies defected from his government and announced plans to run in this year's presidential race, signaling cracks within the ruling elite. Issa Tchiroma Bakary, Minister of Employment and Vocational Training, resigned on June 28, denouncing Biya's ''broken system'' and citing the lack of cabinet meetings for over 14 years and a...
